ROCHESTER — After voters Tuesday overwhelmingly voted against abolishing the Police Commission, Deputy Mayor Ray Varney said the ballot question on whether to remove the commission from the City Charter probably won’t appear before voters again in the foreseeable future “unless something egregious has happened.”

On Tuesday, residents voted 8,220-5,142 in favor of keeping the three-member Police Commission, which has been a part of the city since the 1950s. In each ward, voters rejected eliminating all sections of the City Charter that pertain to the commission.

Tuesday was not the first time the question appeared before voters. The same question was on the ballot during the municipal election last year, as well as in previous years. Although voters rejected the question last year, the City Council brought it back to Tuesday’s ballot. Some, such as Mayor T.J. Jean, argued the commission has no place in the strong city manager form of government, and the panel contributes to bureaucracy in the Police Department.

Councilor Julien Savoie, who originally proposed putting the ballot question before voters, said, “The people have spoken, and they want the Police Commission, so they will have one.”

“I don’t see (the ballot question) coming up again. I’m satisfied. The overwhelming majority wanted to keep the Police Commission,” said Savoie. “I did want a professional running the (police) department, and I think the city manager would have been a better match for that.”

If the Police Commission had been eliminated, City Manager Daniel Fitzpatrick would have taken on the duties the commission now performs — overseeing the operations of the Police Department, including setting policies, hiring officers, setting officers’ salaries, and giving promotions.

Varney, one the councilors in favor of abolishing the commission, said Wednesday the City Council has better first-hand knowledge of the Police Commission than many voters do, and therefore some residents may have voted to keep the commission.

But David Winship, the newest member of the Police Commission who was elected to the panel last year, said the commission provides a buffer between the public and police officers. He said many feel more comfortable approaching police commissioners rather than airing any concerns directly to the chief of police.

Lucien Levesque, past Police Commission chairman and former city councilor of 20 years, said he was standing at the polls Tuesday all day with his wife, talking to voters about keeping the commission in place.

When voters came out in support of the panel by a margin of more than 3,000 votes, Levesque said, “I wasn’t surprised.”

“I’m very ecstatic and very happy that people’s voices were heard,” he said. “I think that the vote said that the voters want the separation of powers.”

The Police Commission, said Levesque, helps provide transparency to the Police Department through televised monthly meetings, during which residents are free to give public input and watch as commissioners discuss proposed policy changes and operations of the Police Department.

“We listen to people, we give them an answer, we follow up with them the best we can,” said Winship.

Al Bemis, vice chairman of the Police Commission, said, “I think the people in the community are sick of (the ballot question) coming up every year. They enjoy our meetings, they enjoy what we’ve done in terms of the new hires. We’re focusing on community involvement.”

“That was a substantial win for us,” said Bemis. “It’s very obvious and very evident that people believe in us, they like what we’ve done. We’re there for them. When they need us we respond immediately.”